Official Broncos @ Pats POST-game thread

[BradyFTW!]

Fair enough. But there were some bad drops. I would say that "most consistent RB" is hardly a recommendation based upon yesterday's game

Edit: don't get me wrong, I like Vereen and would like to see him used more as a runner and if he gets more consistent with his catching (cast?) then he's a real asset for this offense.

Vereen's definitely struggling as a receiver because of the cast. I have no idea what kind of timetable we're looking at before it can come off entirely, but hopefully it's soon

 

[Uncle Rico]

Now that mt heart has stopped palpitating...

I can enjoy this..

Big Play! - Week 12: Broncos vs Patriots - NFL RUSH

For a moment, I thought they f'd up, and was thinking oh man..BB is going to be peeved....

Looked like Ninkovich actually gestured that the Pats wanted to receive. I remember it was very confusing watching it happen, and I thought maybe the Pats had taken the wind/kick by accident.

 

[manxman2601]

Doug Kyed tweeted that the Patriots played every single defensive snap in a nickel defense which I found interesting. Means the Broncos played fairly predictably on offense.

 

[SVN]

Doug Kyed tweeted that the Patriots played every single defensive snap in a nickel defense which I found interesting. Means the Broncos played fairly predictably on offense.

Still I read from reiss that both hightower and soapuagha might have been injured which needs monitoring. As felger of all people said today, force manning to hand of 40 times and he will never take the ball in his hands in a big game. Seems like that worked yesterday. How he didnt challenge our Dbs was odd .

 

[DaBruinz]

Still I read from reiss that both hightower and soapuagha might have been injured which needs monitoring. As felger of all people said today, force manning to hand of 40 times and he will never take the ball in his hands in a big game. Seems like that worked yesterday. How he didnt challenge our Dbs was odd .

The last thing the Pats need is more players being lost to injury from the Defense.

 

[Triumph]

It's definitely that Miller sucks and he only had a good game because Solder is slow

Solder has been getting beat by speed.

 

[mosi]

Well, I am ashamed to admit it but I just watched the game last night. I had a very early morning on Sunday and an important and early meeting on Monday so I went to bed early without even watching a single play. Luckily I recorded it on my DVR so I could see what all the fuss was about.

First, I notice how they paneled some old coaches to see who they would take, Manning or Brady and except for Parcels, who said Brady by a hair, everyone else would take Manning. Stupid MFs proven wrong!

The also showed the states about how great of offensive players Manning has had compared to Brady. People talk about how Manning would have won with Belichick but nobody talks about what Brady would have done with Manning's weapons. I really think Brady would have top 60 TD with some of those Colts teams.

With that said, that game was just like the old SF game. The defense played really, really well and for the most part, held its own. The Pats never bit on play action and seemed OK letting Denver run a ball a bit. Manning looked confused a lot during the game and his throws for the most part, looked week. If his first playoff game is at home in the cold in Denver, I think Manning may be one and done this year.

Man, if Mayo and Wilfork were still around, this defense would be dominant.

 

[Kontradiction]

Well, I am ashamed to admit it but I just watched the game last night. I had a very early morning on Sunday and an important and early meeting on Monday so I went to bed early without even watching a single play. Luckily I recorded it on my DVR so I could see what all the fuss was about.

First, I notice how they paneled some old coaches to see who they would take, Manning or Brady and except for Parcels, who said Brady by a hair, everyone else would take Manning. Stupid MFs proven wrong!

The also showed the states about how great of offensive players Manning has had compared to Brady. People talk about how Manning would have won with Belichick but nobody talks about what Brady would have done with Manning's weapons. I really think Brady would have top 60 TD with some of those Colts teams.

With that said, that game was just like the old SF game. The defense played really, really well and for the most part, held its own. The Pats never bit on play action and seemed OK letting Denver run a ball a bit. Manning looked confused a lot during the game and his throws for the most part, looked week. If his first playoff game is at home in the cold in Denver, I think Manning may be one and done this year.

Man, if Mayo and Wilfork were still around, this defense would be dominant.

Interestingly, there was a thread earlier in the season (I think around Week 2) in which there were several normally intelligent posters talking down Wilfork and Mayo. The debate went about 3-4 pages. I would like to hear those posters thoughts now. Wilfork definitely wasn't at 100% but was still better against the run than Jones and Vellano have been and Mayo was a demon in coverage. Those two are very highly missed.

 

[doesntmatter1]

I miss Mayo and Wilfork for their run stopping ability, but I still do not miss them when it comes to the pass. I feel that Mayo was getting better in coverage and had the raw speed to tackle guys like Darren Sproles out of the backfield but I still and have always felt that Fletcher is better in coverage.

Mayo gone really puts a shining light on how overweight Hightower is. I was never the biggest Hightower fan but I have seen him play many times during his Alabama days and he was much more explosive then. If you look at some of his highlights, you will see some devastating hits in the mix. I think he is just too fat to generate that burst anymore.

One other random thing I want to point out is how Dennard is quietly one of our best defenders. I sometimes think Dennard is our best cb period. Talib gets all of the attention but why is it that teams don't just ignore him and target Dennard more frequently. It was like this in college as well. Teams chose to target Prince Amukamara a lot even though it would seem wiser to go to Dennard's side.

 

[Kontradiction]

I miss Mayo and Wilfork for their run stopping ability, but I still do not miss them when it comes to the pass. I feel that Mayo was getting better in coverage and had the raw speed to tackle guys like Darren Sproles out of the backfield but I still and have always felt that Fletcher is better in coverage.

Mayo gone really puts a shining light on how overweight Hightower is. I was never the biggest Hightower fan but I have seen him play many times during his Alabama days and he was much more explosive then. If you look at some of his highlights, you will see some devastating hits in the mix. I think he is just too fat to generate that burst anymore.

One other random thing I want to point out is how Dennard is quietly one of our best defenders. I sometimes think Dennard is our best cb period. Talib gets all of the attention but why is it that teams don't just ignore him and target Dennard more frequently. It was like this in college as well. Teams chose to target Prince Amukamara a lot even though it would seem wiser to go to Dennard's side.

Mayo was by far better in coverage than Fletcher. He was also better against the run. As for Hightower, he either needs to drop the weight to stay at LB, or gain a little more and make the move down to DE. His lack of speed is a huge disadvantage against passing teams, but he has been a capable pass rusher when he blitzes.

 

[mosi]

Interestingly, there was a thread earlier in the season (I think around Week 2) in which there were several normally intelligent posters talking down Wilfork and Mayo. The debate went about 3-4 pages. I would like to hear those posters thoughts now. Wilfork definitely wasn't at 100% but was still better against the run than Jones and Vellano have been and Mayo was a demon in coverage. Those two are very highly missed.

I may have missed that. The loss of Vince is tremendous. He is basically being replaced by two people if you think about it. That guy is amazing and I hope he makes it back. Even at 50% of his past self, he would be worth it. Mayo is the same. Quality guy that is missed.

 

[dannydyn]

Injuries are finally starting to catch up with the donkeys

Kevin Vickerson has dislocated hip
Kevin Vickerson of Denver Broncos has dislocated hip, will miss at least 6 weeks - ESPN

DRC with his shoulder....
NFL Week 12 Injury Roundup: Rodgers-Cromartie injures shoulder - CBSSports.com

Rahim Moore with a leg surgery....
Broncos safety Rahim Moore out indefinitely

Knowshon Moreno with a bruised anke, boot, and crutches....
Knowshon Moreno's bruised leg bone, fumbles by backups have Broncos concerned - The Denver Post


How does that feel now, ya donkeys?

 

[Kontradiction]

Re: Injuries are finally starting to catch up with the donkeys

No real need to celebrate it. The Broncos had gotten incredibly lucky with injuries prior to this week while the Pats were the exact opposite.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Injuries are finally starting to catch up with the donkeys

What is the point of this thread? There's no reason to be happy about injuries. That's bush league stuff. Besides, even if for some reason you were the type to celebrate season-altering injuries, it appears that Moreno and DRC are both day-to-day anyway.

Besides, the Broncos had their share of injuries before, so the whole premise is flawed. Not like the Patriots, but Woodyard has missed time, their All Pro LT is out for the year, Julius Thomas has been dealing with nagging injuries, Champ Bailey has been out of the picture, and both starting safeties have been out (Moore and Ihenacho).

 

[SVN]

Well, I am ashamed to admit it but I just watched the game last night. I had a very early morning on Sunday and an important and early meeting on Monday so I went to bed early without even watching a single play. Luckily I recorded it on my DVR so I could see what all the fuss was about.

First, I notice how they paneled some old coaches to see who they would take, Manning or Brady and except for Parcels, who said Brady by a hair, everyone else would take Manning. Stupid MFs proven wrong!

The also showed the states about how great of offensive players Manning has had compared to Brady. People talk about how Manning would have won with Belichick but nobody talks about what Brady would have done with Manning's weapons. I really think Brady would have top 60 TD with some of those Colts teams.

With that said, that game was just like the old SF game. The defense played really, really well and for the most part, held its own. The Pats never bit on play action and seemed OK letting Denver run a ball a bit. Manning looked confused a lot during the game and his throws for the most part, looked week. If his first playoff game is at home in the cold in Denver, I think Manning may be one and done this year.

Man, if Mayo and Wilfork were still around, this defense would be dominant.

I rewatched the game and I am probably in the minority but I thought manning was okay. Not as bad as everyone is saying he was. He just handed off the ball too much IMO and didnt let his WR core make plays by taking the ball in his hands . He made some good throws down the stretch and OT against the wind.Was not comfortable at all but definitely was not crappy like a lot of people suggest. The talib batted ball in OT or the welker drop/tackle doesnt happen, we couldve been in trouble.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I rewatched the game and I am probably in the minority but I thought manning was okay. Not as bad as everyone is saying he was. He just handed off the ball too much IMO and didnt let his WR core make plays by taking the ball in his hands . He made some good throws down the stretch and OT against the wind.Was not comfortable at all but definitely was crappy like a lot of people suggest. The talib batted ball in OT or the welker drop/tackle doesnt happen, we couldve been in trouble.

I think the other half of the equation is that his receivers really weren't getting open. Talib was consistently winning the one on one matchup with Demaryius, and Arrington was covering Welker as well as anyone has. The Broncos' passing game excels on the premise that, between the two Thomases, Welker, and Moreno as a safety valve coming out of the backfield, someone will always be beating single coverage pretty much right off the line. When that's true, Manning gets rid of the ball so quickly that he nullifies the pass rush. When it's not, Manning's ankle injuries and the loss of Clady come into play, and their entire offense becomes very vulnerable to a guy like Chandler Jones.

On Sunday night, their receivers weren't getting open. Julius wasn't playing, the Pats' defense matches up well on both of their top 2 receivers, the Pats spent a large portion of the night in the dime package, and Eric Decker isn't very good.

If Manning had said to hell with it and started forcing throws into that coverage in those conditions, they Broncos never would have made it to overtime, because they're probably have another 2+ giveaways. You even saw that on their last drive in regulation, where they did score. A handful of plays before, Manning got pressured with no one open and threw up an awful pass that was intercepted by Talib. Only reason the game didn't end right there is because of a defensive holding penalty that had no impact at all on the play.

The Broncos offense did the right thing, philosophically. When they ran the ball they were at least eating up clock and field position, and with the lead that they had that should have been enough. Fortunately for us, Manning was good for one forced throw that got picked, and Montee Ball continues to be Ridley-esque in ball security.

 

[SVN]

I think the other half of the equation is that his receivers really weren't getting open. Talib was consistently winning the one on one matchup with Demaryius, and Arrington was covering Welker as well as anyone has. The Broncos' passing game excels on the premise that, between the two Thomases and Welker, someone will always be beating single coverage pretty much right off the line. That wasn't true on Sunday night, because Julius wasn't playing, the Pats' defense matches up well on both of their top 2 receivers, the Pats spent a large portion of the night in the dime package, and Eric Decker isn't very good.

If Manning had said to hell with it and started forcing throws into that coverage in those conditions, they Broncos never would have made it to overtime, because they're probably have another 2+ giveaways. You even saw that on their last drive in regulation, where they did score. A handful of plays before, Manning got pressured with no one open and threw up an awful pass that was intercepted by Talib. Only reason the game didn't end right there is because of a defensive holding penalty that had no impact at all on the play.

The Broncos offense did the right thing, philosophically. When they ran the ball they were at least eating up clock and field position, and with the lead that they had that should have been enough. Fortunately for us, Manning was good for one forced throw that got picked, and Montee Ball continues to be Ridley-esque in ball security.

Surprised about his WRs not getting open but I guess the pats shut down the screen and inside game mostly and dared him to throw to the sidelines. Julius thomas not being there helped but our run defense, inspite of daring them to run was really sloppy and got pushed around. Surprised manning didnt do more playaction .Probably because he is mostly in shotgun nowadays.
Philosophically yes they were right but that is what troy brown said that day. Manning will go by the book and wont take charge in critical times to take the ball in his hands. IAm sure those frustrating 3rd and short bombs brady throws were mostly his call at the line.

 

[SVN]

via chatham twitter

 

[BradyFTW!]

Surprised about his WRs not getting open but I guess the pats shut down the screen and inside game mostly and dared him to throw to the sidelines.

I think you're right on the money, there. Particularly when throwing into the wind, the Pats weren't worried about Demaryius beating them deep, so Talib was really able to clamp down on the screen game. Once he blew up a screen or two, I think the Broncos realized that that would not be a winning strategy for them.

Surprised manning didnt do more playaction .Probably because he is mostly in shotgun nowadays.

I think the absence of Clady plays into that a lot. Between not having faith in their LT and Manning already being hobbled, I think they lack confidence that their line can keep Manning upright long enough to execute a play action fake. And, given the havoc that Chandler Jones was causing out there, IMO they were right to be skeptical. Play action would have been a great way to get Manning blindsided before he ever even got a chance to look up.

On top of that, the Broncos hadn't been running the ball well at all coming into this game. Prior to this game, Moreno hadn't reached the 100 yard rushing mark in any game this season. You have to establish the run for the play action to work, and the Broncos generally haven't established the run in 2013. So introducing the play action last night would have required some significant in-game adjustments, and significant in-game adjustments probably aren't going to come from Jack Del Rio. We're spoiled in that sense.

Philosophically yes they were right but that is what troy brown said that day. Manning will go by the book and wont take charge in critical times to take the ball in his hands. IAm sure those frustrating 3rd and short bombs brady throws were mostly his call at the line.

Definitely, I agree. And if he were still playing in Indy three neck surgeries ago, I think Manning definitely would have done that too. But in these conditions and in this physical state, it just doesn't seem like he was physically capable of making those deep shots.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Josh McDaniels sheds some light on Kenbrell Thompkins' extended playing time in 2nd half (over Aaron Dobson). Got hot. Rode the hot hand.

The battle between the two rooks for playing time as the X receiver continues. This is good for both of them IMO. Although I wish both could get on the field at the same time.